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Riverstone

The Riverstone Precinct was rezoned for urban development in May 2010.

The 975-hectare Precinct will deliver capacity for more than 9,000 new dwellings to accommodate almost 27,000 residents. It will also feature:

• 58 hectares of open space
• 57 hectares of conservation reserves
• 14 hectares of employment land
• Three new primary schools and a new K-12 school
• Rail duplication
• A new railway station at Vineyard with a commuter car park
• Neighbourhood centres at Vineyard and Schofields
• A new community services hub at Riverstone
• Upgrades to major roads
• Walking and cycle paths along major roads and open space corridors 

Click here to see the final Riverstone Indicative Layout Plan. For information on land use zoning and other relevant planning information which may apply to properties in Riverstone, contact Blacktown City Council and request a Section 149 Planning Certificate. You can also find your property on the official Land Zoning Maps.

Riverstone was one of the first release precincts in the North West Growth Centre. It is bounded by Bandon Road to the north, Schofields Road to the south, Richmond Rail Line to the west and First Ponds Creek and Windsor Road to the east.   

Riverstone Precinct currently consists of a mix of urban areas around the rail stations, rural residential areas and the Riverstone Scheduled Lands. Some areas of Riverstone contain endangered Cumberland Plain Woodland.

Landcom is also involved in the masterplanning of the Scheduled Lands.  Landcom is not a landowner within the Riverstone Scheduled Lands. Landcom is working in liaison with the local landowners, the NSW Government and Blacktown City Council to facilitate the coordinated and viable development of the Riverstone Scheduled Lands.

A dedicated website for the Riverstone Scheduled Lands can be found here.

The Department is seeking feedback on proposed mechanisms to assist the development of scheduled lands or ‘paper subdivisions’. A draft Regulation and Guideline is currently on exhibition from Wednesday 8 February to Friday 30 March 2012.  For further information, please click here.

Minor Amendments to the Growth Centres SEPP   

Minor amendments to the Growth Centres SEPP were published on 27 January 2012.  The draft amendments were publicly exhibited from 2 March to 6 April 2011.  The amendments dealt with minor errors and changes to improve the operation of some of the controls in the Alex Avenue and Riverstone Precinct Plan.  State Environmental Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development Codes) 2008 was also amended in relation to complying development for new single and two storey houses in the Riverstone Scheduled Lands.
 
The amended instruments can be found on the NSW Legislation web site: http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/ 
 

Riverstone rezoned

The NSW Government has finalised the rezoning of the Riverstone Precinct by amending the State Environmental Planning Policy (Sydney Region Growth Centres) 2006 (the Growth Centres SEPP).  

Following a public exhibition of the draft Precinct Plans in late 2008/early 2009 and community feedback, the Precinct Plan was reshaped to:

• Reduce the amount of land required for drainage and open space purposes
• Improve service to projected development areas and reduce impacts of traffic on local communities by amending the proposed road network
• Refine requirements for commuter parking and retail development in the new Vineyard neighbourhood centre
• Lower costs by reducing the section 94 contribution amounts required by Council when new developments are approved
• Retain the current general industrial zoning applying to the existing Riverstone Industrial area under the Blacktown Local Environmental Plan
• The new Precinct Plan is a product of an extensive process which was jointly managed by the Department of Planning and Blacktown City Council. 

Implications for landowners

Although land has been rezoned, there is no compulsion for any development by the owner. Landowners can choose to develop or not develop their property. They can also choose to develop part of their property. Under ‘existing use rights’, landowners can continue with current uses (provided the use is already lawfully commenced). 

Next Steps

The rezoning is accompanied by a Development Control Plan and an anticipated Section 94 Contributions Plan, prepared by Blacktown City Council. The Council intends to adopt a revised Contributions Plan in the near future.